Where does “undernourished” come from?

Undernourished comes from Middle English under- combined with nourished, ultimately tracing through Old English under-, Proto-Germanic under, and Proto-Indo-European n̥dʰér and h₁en.

undernourished (English): Provided with insufficient nourishment to sustain...

Definitions

  1. Provided with insufficient nourishment to sustain...

Ancestry of “undernourished”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishunder-Beneath, under
2EnglishunderIn or at a lower level than; As a subject of;...
3Middle Englishunderunder
4Old Englishunderunder, beneath
5Proto-Germanicunderamong, between; under, beneath; under
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁entérbetween
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁enin; in, inside
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁en →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁entér →Every word from Proto-Germanic under →